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Observed self-regulation is associated with weight in low-income toddlers

Alison L Miller1, Katherine L Rosenblum2, Lauren B Retzloff3

  • 1Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, 300 North Ingalls Street, 1023NW, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0406, USA; Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, USA.

Appetite
|July 12, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Toddlers with better self-regulation (SR) skills, especially for delaying gratification with snacks and managing frustration, show lower body mass index z-scores (BMIz) and reduced odds of overweight or obesity. These findings highlight the importance of early self-regulation for weight management in young children.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Pediatric Obesity
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Early childhood obesity is a growing concern, tracking from toddlerhood into later life.
  • Self-regulation (SR) skills develop rapidly in toddlerhood, but their link to early weight status is understudied.
  • Few studies compare toddlers' responses in food versus non-food-related tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between toddlers' observed behavioral and emotional self-regulation (SR) and their weight status.
  • To examine SR in both food-related and non-food-related tasks.
  • To compare these associations with body mass index z-score (BMIz) and weight classification (overweight/obese).

Main Methods:

  • 133 low-income toddlers (mean age 33.1 months) participated in standardized observational tasks.
  • Behavioral SR was assessed via delay of gratification for a snack (food) and a gift (non-food).
  • Emotional SR was measured by negative affect intensity during denied access to a cookie (food) or toy (non-food). BMIz was calculated.

Main Results:

  • Better behavioral SR in the snack delay task correlated with lower BMIz and reduced odds of being overweight/obese.
  • Better emotional SR in the non-food task correlated with lower BMIz.
  • Improved emotional SR in both food and non-food tasks was linked to lower odds of overweight/obesity.

Conclusions:

  • Behavioral self-regulation, particularly for food-related delays, and overall emotional self-regulation are associated with healthier weight status in toddlers.
  • These findings suggest that targeting self-regulation skills may be a viable strategy for early childhood obesity prevention.

Keywords:
BehaviorChildhood obesityEmotionObservational studyToddler self-regulationWeight

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